5 nabbed after ‘fake CBI raid’ at Gurdaspur village

Ravi Dhaliwal

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Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, June 5

The police have arrested five persons who, posing as CBI officers, carried out a ‘raid’ at Deeda Saansian village, 7 km from here, and decamped with 35 ounces of gold and Rs 4 lakh in cash early on Wednesday. Two others are still at large.

SSP Nanak Singh said the brazenness with which the miscreants carried out the ‘raid’ had shocked both villagers and the police. Officers claimed they were surprised at the immaculate planning and clockwork execution with which the exercise was carried out.

Early on Wednesday, seven persons walked into a house claiming to be CBI officials. A marriage ceremony had taken place at the residence a day ago and the team knew where precisely the gold ornaments and cash were lying. The team was led by a physically challenged man who claimed he was the ‘CBI director’, while a woman accomplice addressed herself as the ‘PA’ to the ‘CBI director’. The others designated themselves as ‘constables’.

The ‘director’ flaunted his contacts in New Delhi and told the family he had conducted scores of similar raids across the country. Both he and his ‘PA’ carried pistols.

The SSP said as soon as they got the information, they knew it was an insider job. Investigations revealed a woman living in the house was in touch with the suspects. She had been sending them the precise location and vital inputs, he said.

The seven suspects had arrived at Pathankot, 30 km from Deeda Saansian, on Monday evening and checked into a plush hotel.

On the day of the crime, they hired two Innova vehicles to carry out the ‘raid’. They finished the job within 20 minutes and tied the family members with a rope before driving back to Pathankot and then to Chandigarh.

To ensure the two taxi drivers did not get suspicious, the suspects got down in front of the CBI office in Sector 30-A, Chandigarh, before dispersing.

“We checked the movement of vehicles at toll plazas on the Deeda Sansian-Pathankot and Pathankot-Chandigarh highways. Later, we questioned the two drivers who came up with valuable information,” said the SSP. Those arrested have been identified as Amarinder Singh, Kulwinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Lakhbir Singh and Anamika Bhania (Kangra).